Sound Transit needs to take the path that logic dictates

In the debate on Sound Transit's Link light rail, one feature has been overlooked -- the proposed tunnel through Beacon Hill.

Until 1909, geography formed a barrier between the downtown business district and what was then called East Seattle. A cut was made, creating First Hill and Beacon Hill on one side and the Dearborn Valley on the other. Sound Transit ignored the path earlier civic leaders intended for the public good, opting for a more expensive solution.

That tunnel doesn't make sense. If I want to go to North Seattle by the quickest route, I'll take an existing one. I won't take my trusty spade in hand and dig a hole to the University District. If I want to build a railroad, I'll take the best route, not zigzag around it and through a mile-wide chunk of rock.

The hole will fill with money we can ill afford to lose. If this plan were altered, it could help put mass transit back on track by reducing the cost to access the Rainier Valley while also cutting the time needed to build the route. As it is, Sound Transit can't say what it will cost. In 1999, the tunnel alone reportedly was budgeted for $20 million. Today, adjusted for inflation on the entire project, that tunnel would cost $28 million.

Next, add the Beacon Hill 180-foot shafts and elevators, the three buildings, the plaza and the art. Finally, add the Lander station west of the hill. It has no reason to exist.

It is not in an area where people live; it's a zone of warehouses and heavy industry. See for yourself. No one will ride light rail to pick up a few bags of cement at the Sodo Home Depot. No one will haul recycling to Rabanco by commuter train. Yet Sound Transit slated the Lander station for completion years before a platform for Seahawks Stadium and Safeco Field. The Royal Brougham station that would serve the fans isn't even scheduled.

Adding up the tunnel and two stations, what does Seattle get? When the bill is in the mail, it could tally $60 million or more.

Can't we spend this money more wisely? Aren't we smarter than that?The only "hard" data we've seen are inflated ridership estimates. Sound Transit will only get riders from Beacon Hill if Metro discontinues bus service.

My community would lose locally owned businesses in our small downtown. Some people will lose homes. Other lives will be disrupted by construction. Our neighborhood could be torn up by a project that may not be completed.

We need a comprehensive transportation plan and leadership with backbone to get the job done.

Mass transit should take an existing path from downtown Seattle through the Rainier Valley. That path is along Dearborn, down by the Goodwill store, beside the interchange of Interstates 5 and 90.

We should follow the course at the north end of Beacon Hill. That route will save us money and save construction time. We don't need a tunnel to nowhere while a cheaper, smarter way exists.